Sound-box



I I. J. SCU LL Y SOUND BOX.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I7. 1918.

13,77,682 Patented May 10 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. SCULLY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO COLUMBIA.GRAPHOPHONE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BRIDGQLPORT, CONNECTICUT,

A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

souNn-nox.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Application. filed April 17, 1918. Serial No. 229,129.

phragm therein, and has particular utility.

when applied to sound-boxes of the perpendicularly-undulating-recordtype.

When a sound-box of the perpendicularlyundulating-record type is usedfor recording, it should bear upon the tablet with a comparatively lightpressure and yet it must be sufficiently strong and rigid to be durable.An object of this invention is to provide a sound-box of this type whichis both extremely light and also strong and durable.

The diaphragm of the sound-box should be clamped in position withsubstantially uniform tension so as not to produce local stresses.Commercial diaphragms do not possess mathematically plane faces normathematically parallel faces, nor is the material thereof absolutelyhomogeneous. Furthermore, the gaskets employed are not mathematicallyexact nor absolutely homogeneous, nor are the clamping surfaces of thebody member or the clamping ring true mathe- .matical planes norabsolutely parallel.

Therefore, in structures heretofore employed, the setting up of localstresses has been inevitable. An object of this invention is to providea sound-box wherein the diaphragm is clamped. in position withsubstantially uniform tension so as to avoid such local stresses.

Other objects relate to the provision of a sound-box that is simple inconstruction, inexpensive to manufacture, and which, while both lightand durable, is equally satisfactory for the reproduction and therecordation of sound.

Stated broadly, one feature of the invention is the provision of asound-box comprising a body-member of sheet-material, prefer ablyaluminum, and a tube of similar material, the two being secured togetherby tongues on the tube received in slots in the body-member and bentover into clamping relation therewith.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a sound-box havinga bodymember, a diaphragm, and means for clamping the margin of thediaphragm in position comprising a plurality of independent clampingdevices, said clamping means being preferably made of sheet-material andprovided with a plurality of fingers which may be bent over intoindependent clamping re- .lation with said body-member.

The invention is capable of receiving a variety of mechanicalexpressions one of Patented May 10, 1921.

which is shown on the accompanying drawing, but it is to be expresslyunderstood that the drawing is for purposes of illustration only and isnot to be construed as a definition of the limits of the invention,reference being had to the appended claims for that purpose.

In said drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective top view of a sound-boxconstructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, the thickness of the parts beingconsiderably exag erated for the sake of clearness.

11 said drawing, 1 represents a tube preferably drawn from sheet-metalsuch as aluminum and curving at the end to provide a short elbow 2, andshown as provided at the extremity thereof with a plurality of tongues3. The body of the sound-box 1s a shallow cup-shaped member comprising aplate 4 having a central aperture 5 for communication with the tube 1,and an annular peripheral flange 6 which meets the plate in a gradualcurve or are of a circle instead of at right angles. The aperture 5 issurrounded by a neck or collar 7 which is adapted to enter into theelbow of the tube 1. The plate 4 adjacent said neck is slotted as at 8to receive the tongues 8 of the tube. In assembling the body-member andtube, the neck 7 is received in telescopic relation within the end ofthe tube 1 and the tongues 3 are received within the slots 8 and bentover into clamping relation with said bodymember, as clearly shown inFig. 2.

mounted within the cavity of the body-mem- 'ber provided by theperipheral flange 6,

preferably between a pair of gaskets 10 of any suitable material such asrubber, cork, paper, etc. To retain the diaphragm in position, acover-like clamping ring 11 is provided. This ring is provided with astamped up peripheral flange 12 which is telescoped Over the flange 6 ofthe body-member 4 to cover the otherwise exposed outer edge of the outergasket 10 and is also provided with a plurality of fingers 13,preferably equally and comparatively widely spaced around the same, ofsufficient length to enable the same to be curved over onto the plate 4of the body-member. In assembling the diaphragm and body-member, thediaphragm with its gaskets is inserted in place within the cavity ofsaid body-member; the retaining ring is received over the flange 6 ofsaid body-mem-' ber and the fingers 13 are thereafter curved down fromthe dotted line position to full line position shown in F ig. 2 so as toclamp the diaphragm, gaskets and retaining ring firmly in position.Owing to the curvature between the plate 4 and flange 6, the fingers 13are not bent down at a sharp right angle on to said plate but are curvedinto intimate contact with said plate and flange. This results in aspring-like grip of said fingers on the body member whereby asubstantially uniform tension on the diaphragm is ob tained as will nowbe readily understood.

Owing to the greater' density of the drawn and stamped sheet-metal whichthe present invention renders available, a sound-box constructed inaccordance with this invention is far lighter than those heretoforeinvented without the sacrifice of strength or other desirableproperties. Furthermore, as the fingers 13 are bent into clampingposition independently and so as to exert a uniform tension on thediaphragm, the latter will be supported without local stresses, asvariations in the diaphragm, gaskets and clamping surfaces will becompensated for by the independent and uniform tension applied at aplurality of spaced points around the diaphragm-retaining ring.Additionally, a sound-box is thus provided which is equally satisfactoryin reproducing as well as recording sound and one which can bemanufactured easily and inexpensively owing to the simplicity of itscomponent elements and facility with which they may be formed fromsheet-material.

While the illustrated embodiment of the invention has been describedwith considerable particularity, it is to be expressly understood thatthe invention is not to be restricted thereto as the same is capable ofrecelvlng a varlety of mechanical expressions pended for a definition ofthe limits of the invention.

What is claimed is 1. A sound-box comprising an apertured body-member ofsheet-metal provided with slots adjacent said aperture, and a tube ofsheet-metal provided with tongues received in said slots and bent overto clamp said body-member.

2. A sound-box comprising an apertured body-member of sheet-metalprovided with a collar around said aperture and slots adjacent saidcollar, and a tube of sheet-metal in telescopic relation to said collarandprovided with tongues received in said slots and bent over to clampsaid body-member.

3. A sound-box having a body member consisting of a plate and an annularflange meeting the plate in a curve, a diaphragm in spaced relation tosaid plate, and means for securing the diaphragm in position comprisinga cover-like ring having a plurality of fingers curved over intointimate contact with the curved meeting part aforesaid.

4. A sound-box comprising a body-member, a diaphragm, and adiaphragm-retaining ring provided with a plurality of fingers curvedover said bodymember.

5. A sound-box comprising a body-member, a diaphragm, and a flangeddiaphragmretaining ring provided with a plurality of fingers curved oversaid body-member.

6. In a sound box, the combination of a diaphragm carrier having anaperture for the passage of sound vibrations, a soundconveying conduithaving a wall in contact with said carrier, said conduit being closed atone end but having an aperture in its carrier-contiguous wall, and meansfor securing 105 the conduit to the carrier with the apertures inalinement comprising tongue andslot connections adjacent said apertures.

' 7. In a sound-box, a flanged body portion, and a diaphragmretaining-ring provided 110 with a plurality of integral and spacedtongues clampingly engaged about the body portion.

8. In a sound-box for, sound recording and reproducing machines, acasing, and a dia- 115 phragm retainin -ring attached thereto by meansintegral wlth itself, said means being flanged over the edge of thecasing inwardly from its periphery.

In testimony whereof I have signed this

